


Cold

by Mary_West



Series: LDWS-Hogwarts Decameron [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cold Weather, Hypothermia, M/M, Sleeping Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:07:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23786023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mary_West/pseuds/Mary_West
Summary: The Livejournal Hogwarts Last Drabble Writer Standing group is doing a Decameron-inspired series where you write a story a day based on the daily prompt.Today's Topic:Misadventures that suddenly end happily.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Series: LDWS-Hogwarts Decameron [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699588
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Cold

"You're a fool, Scorpius."

Albus Potter half-carried half-assisted his friend back to their holiday cottage, squinting his eyes against the driving snow and hoping he hadn't wandered off the pathway again like the young man in his arms had done. "I know March is supposed to be spring, but not up here. _Come to Wick_ you said. _We can rent a little cottage away from town, practise our Quidditch where no-one's looking, go for nice walks in the countryside_ you said." By now, Albus was starting to panic a little, and Scorpius' weight wasn't getting any lighter. The snow was ankle-deep, and starting to pull at his feet as he trudged, and his monologue was less a criticism to his friend and more a litany to get him to the cottage. " _Evenings at the pub and games of Shove Hapenny_ you said. _It'll be fun!_ Fun. The utter north of Scotland in the middle of a blizzard and …"

At this, he realised the snow wasn't beating in his face any more, and he stopped just before the front door of the cottage could do the same. It wasn't locked – who the hell would come out here anyway – and he pushed through it and tried to knock off most of the snow in the front porch before heading into the front room. Icy drops fell from Albus' forelock and Scorpius collapsed at his feet, but such was Albus' annoyance that he left him lying there while going to stoke the fire and put on the kettle.

Ten minutes later Albus knew there wasn't a hot water bottle, nor indeed a reasonable substitute, anywhere in the cottage. He managed to persuade Scorpius to stagger to the bed, and tried not to look too hard as he pulled the snow-wet clothing off the young blond. After all, getting into bed in wet clothes would be much worse than anything Albus could do. The warm tops came off easily enough, as did the walking boots and the soggy socks, but the jeans were proving a problem. By this time Scorpius was insensible, and not helping in the slightest.

"I should have thought," said Albus as he wrestled with the damp button on the top of the fly, "that your mother would have told you how bad jeans are for wearing for a walk in cold weather. The cotton attracts all the damp." The button finally eased through the buttonhole, and it was the work of a moment to unzip the fly and start tugging the jeans off.

It wasn't until he had them completely down and off the bed that Albus saw that Scorpius' underpants had come off too. The green and silver cloth lay inside the jeans' top, and Scorpius' legs were turning blue.

Albus hurriedly swung the legs under the counterpane, and tucked it around Scorpius' neck. Then, certain that the young man in the bed was already asleep, he planted a gentle kiss on the other's forehead, just below the bright blond hair, and headed to the kitchen for the cup of tea he had been craving. Tea that he had meant for Scorpius, but best not to wake the lad now. And not at all for the cold shower Albus felt he ought to have with certain unworthy thoughts creeping into his head. His friend was ill, suffering from hypothermia, and Albus had been taking a look at his naked body? Thanks to the hot water system giving up the ghost, the only shower on offer _was_ cold, which is why Albus hadn't dragged Scorpius into the bathroom and reheated him with a long hot wash. But which was probably a good thing. It was bad enough seeing Scorpius naked when he was asleep _(oh let him just be asleep)_. Seeing him in a hot shower, rubbing him down, towelling him dry … Albus shut those thoughts down quickly and applied to the only hot water available as the kettle boiled.

Fifteen minutes later he was ready for his own bed. The three hours he had been searching in the snow for Scorpius, and then the long walk back to the cottage, had left him exhausted. He put on his warm pyjamas and brushed his teeth, then stopped. Had he heard something? A cry?

Dashing back into the other bedroom, Albus saw the source of the noise. Scorpius was hunched up in the counterpane, moaning and crying quietly. So quietly that if the wind hadn't dropped outside, Albus never would have heard it. The room itself was not very warm – the heat from the chimney downstairs was minimal – and Scorpius himself was cool to the touch. Too cool. 

In an instant, Albus had his own pyjamas off and had snuggled down beside Scorpius, spooning him and trying to transmit as much heat as possible to the young lad by contact. And if mental transfer was possible, by that as well. He rubbed Scorpius' arms until they finally gained a bit of colour, then wrapped both of his own arms around his shuddering, whimpering friend.

"Fool that I am," he muttered to himself. "I should have checked on him earlier. You'd best get better, Scorpius. I don't like our chances of getting a doctor up here in this snow, and I really don't want to explain to your father that I let his heir freeze to death out of stupidity." The intermittent shuddering finally stopped, the whimpering ceased, and Albus could feel Scorpius' muscles relax. He took the chance to stretch out his legs, then yawned and wondered how long it would take before he could decently leave. Or indecently. In his own haste, he had removed his own underpants as well. Albus grinned at himself and snuggled closer to Scorpius, enjoying the contact despite the situation.

He woke to a gentle touch of someone brushing that errant lock of hair from his face. Carefully opening his eyes, he found himself looking into the grey irises of Scorpius.

"You're all right?"

"I think so. Did we do something stupid last night?"

Albus' heart sank. "What would constitute as _stupid_?"

"Finally confessing how we feel about each other, but me not remembering it." Scorpius' smile was hesitant. "Because if I said something, I meant it. And I can't think why else we've finally ended up in bed together like I've wanted to for years."

"You don't remember being lost in the snow? Me dragging you back?" Albus gently stroked his hand down Scorpius' arm, pleased to feel how warm it was.

"Oh. _That_ was the stupid thing? Then yes, I did it. But I've been wanting to tell you for ages."

"Tell me what?"

And as Scorpius leaned forward and kissed Albus softly on the lips, Albus decided that perhaps the holiday hadn't been such a foolish decision after all.


End file.
